Splatoon: A Different Path
by SoftWare Publishing
Summary: An Octoling travels through the Deepsea Metro, trying to make her way to the "Promised Land", while trying to regain her memory. Special thanks to ARandomInterloper for allowing me to use some of his OCs. Read, review, follow, favorite.
1. Awakening

**Special thanks to ARandomInterloper for giving me permission to use his OCs.**

Splatoon

A Different Path

Chapter One

Awakening

 _"Pale summer moonlight shimmers on the seafloor._

 _An octopus, unaware that dawn will bring capture,_

 _rests within a trap, dreaming fleeting dreams..."_

(Unknown location, unknown time)

Cap'n Cuttlefish looked at the Octoling laying unconscious before him. The only weapon he had was his

Bamboozler, which was being used as his cane. He kept his gaze on her, waiting for her to awaken. A soft

moaning told him she was awakening. Her hair tentacles were very unusual. He had never seen an

Octoling with such a hairstyle. She looked up at him, confusion in her eyes. "Up and at 'em, Octoling! Get

ready for a royal whoopin'!" She still seemed confused. "But you seemed to have lost your weapon, and

there is no honor in defeating an unarmed opponent. So how about we call a truce until we find a way out

of here?" She didn't answer, just kept staring at him. "Speaking of which, where is here, exactly?" The

Octoling got up, the confusion still in her eyes. Cuttlefish faced her. "What's your name, bucko?" She

gripped her head. "I... I don't remember." Cuttlefish looked around, and noticed an overpipe above them.

"Ye must have hit yer head on that pipe." The Octoling sighed. "Who are you?" Cuttlefish mentally

slapped himself. "Right, sorry. Cap'n Cuttlefish, leader of the legendary Squidbeak Splatoon!" She still

looked confused, but made no comment. "Right, now, let's see where we can go." They walked through a

train, then through a rail tunnel, until they reached a vault. "A vault. We need a key to move on. Check

over there." The Octoling walked towards the device he pointed at. She stepped through it, and a

Splattershot appeared in her hand. She looked it over, and looked up at the course in front of her. ' _Is this_

 _some sort of training facility?_ ' She moved on, and fired a few shots, getting used to the feel of the

weapon. She then took on the course, completing it with ease. She found a key, and went back to

Cuttlefish. As she stepped through the device, her Spattershot disappeared. "Ahoy, that contraption took

your weapon!" The Octoling sighed. "It's all right, I'll find a new one." ' _Either that, or build one._ ' They

went through and walked into what looked like a train station. "Where are we?"

 **A/N**

 **Okay, I'm gonna put the cliffhanger here. Here's a little biography of the OC character that is**

 **in this chapter.**

 **Octoling (Name forgotten)**

 **Age-23**

 **This Octoling has no memory of her past at this time. She awoke on a stone floor, with an**

 **elderly Inkling staring at her and speaking in a way that she didn't understand half of what he**

 **was saying.**

 **Likes- Unknown at this time.**

 **Dislikes- Unknown at this time.**

 **SoftWare, offline.**


	2. The First Test

**"Everyone has a gift. We don't choose what gifts we get. Only what we do with them."**

 **-The Lord of the Beans (VeggieTales) I haven't seen it in years.**

Chapter Two

The First Test

Cap'n Cuttlefish and the Octoling approached what looked like a phone. It was ringing, so the Cap'n motioned to the

Octoling to answer it. She pressed a button, and said something. " _[Searching for user ID... User 10,008 confirmed.]"_ The

Octoling looked at it in confusion. " _Greetings, 10,008. Your current location is: Deepsea Metro Central Station._ " She kept

her gaze on it. ' _Is it malfunctioning?_ ' " _My primary function is to facilitate your journey to the Promised Land. Pleased to_

 _make your acquaintance."_ She cocked her head. "Huh?" The phone then said something else. "[ _Accessing communication_

 _efficiency. Efficiency: 12.42%. Enabling contemporary speech mode.]"_ Cap'n Cuttlefish spoke up. "What did he say?" She

faced him. "I just don't have a clue." Cuttlefish kept his gaze on her. "Diction, dear child. It can make all the difference in

the world. Carry on." She looked at the phone. "Um, hi?" " _What's crackalacking, home skillet? Let us bounce to the_

 _Promised Land fo sho!"_ "Um, sure." " _I am bout it bout it, so listen while I [SLANG NOT FOUND] you the facts."_ "Okay?"

" _You have spent your entire life in the dark, your eyes closed to the new hotness that awaits."_ "Uh huh." " _The Promised_

 _Land. A utopia of light beyond your wildest dreams. It is all that and a bag of cool beans._ " "What do beans have to do

with it?" " _I will take you to the Promised Land now."_ "Okay, thanks." " _NOT!"_ She glared at it. "That's rude." " _Ha ha ha!_

 _Psyche out!"_ "Psyche-? Ugh, are you gonna help us or not?" " _Only cats who have proven themselves can [ERROR] the_

 _Promised Land. Do you dig, dog?"_ "Do I look like a dog to you?!" The Cap'n put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down.

Getting angry will not help you." She thought that over. "Sorry." " _There have been 10,007 applicants so far, which_

 _makes you Applicant 10,008. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo. Good luck and [SLANG NOT FOUND]."_ She

faced the Cap'n, and said, "Any idea what it means by 'Slang not found'?" The Cap'n shrugged. " _This is Deepsea Metro_

 _Central Station, the realio dealio central hub_ _of the facility. Here are your CQ Card and CQ-80 device. They are so bad."_

After dropping both objects on the ground, it continued. " _Guard them with your lizzife, because if you lose them, you will_

 _be [ERROR]. Now come on ride the train. Outtie 5000."_ With that, the phone shut off. "Applicant 10,008. That's a

beakful. I think I'll just call you Agent 8." She faced him. "Yeah. I like that." He looked thoughtful. "This "Promised Land"

must be the surface. How underground are we?" Agent 8 shrugged. "Enough of that. Let's go." As he said this, a train

came by, and stopped in front of them. Eight looked inside, and said, "Wow. Maid's day off, huh?" Cuttlefish snorted.

They walked on. As Cuttlefish sat down to rest, a small blue slimy creature approached them. "Welcome aboard. I am

C.Q. Cumber. I will be your conductor." Cuttlefish said something that Agent 8 thought was mean. "Pardon me? I take it

this is your first time riding with us?" He scooched forward, and sat up. "The Deepsea Metro is a testing facility divided

into 80 stations. There is a test at each station you will have to pass in order to find the four Thangs." Eight faced him.

"Huh?" "When the four Thangs are gathered, the door to the Promised Land shall open." She was still confused, but

chose not to dwell on it. "Okay." "On your CQ-80 device, you may access the first test now." She did so, and when they

arrived, she entered the station. "You are given 1,000 CQ Points to start the test. You must pay 100 to enter. The reward

is 300." ( **A/N- Correct me if I'm wrong.)** Eight paid the fee, held the Splattershot that was given to her, and entered

the test chamber. In it, she saw plenty of fake plant life, and made a mental note to complete the test as fast as she

could. Holding the Splattershot at the ready, she stepped forward. A sound to her left got her attention. "Target

acquired." She faced the speaker. It was another Octoling, but something was wrong. Her skin was green, and her hair

tentacles were blue. The Cap'n spoke up through a comm. "You're both Octolings, right? Try talking to her." She

prepared to speak up when the other Octoling said something. "Destroy." She dodged the incoming Ink, and fired back,

splatting the attacker with ease." A gate opened nearby. "Octolings hunting other Octolings. What is going on?" Eight

decided not to answer that question. She kept going, encountering two other Octolings like the other one, and having to

fight them, just like the other one. She cleared the test, and picked up a small object at the station. C.Q. spoke up. "That

is a MEM cake. It commemorates your success." As he finished, something happened. She saw something in her mind.

Seven Octolings smiling at her, all of them reaching for her. The Cap'n faced her when she walked back into the train.

"What is it?" "I think I remembered something. Seven other Octolings smiling at me, then reaching for me." The Cap'n

nodded. He gestured to another passenger, an Octoling with black hair tentacles, with seaweed stalks sticking out of

them. "This is Catherine. She saw you go into the chamber, and asked to speak with you when you were done." Eight

nodded. "Okay."

 **A/N**

 **Looks like Agent 8 has a new ally.**

 **Agent 8**

 **Age-23**

 **History-Remembers meeting seven Octolings, who smile at her and reach for her.**

 **Likes-Her title, Agent 8**

 **Dislikes-Being confused, people not talking so she can understand them.**

 **SoftWare, offline.**


	3. New Allies

**Let the strangeness continue.**

Chapter Three

New Allies

Eight walked to the car of the train the Cap'n had pointed out to her. She looked forward a bit, and saw

an Octoling with seaweed stalks in her hair tentacles sitting in a seat near the back. Cautiously, she

stepped forward. The Octoling noticed her, and looked up. Eight stopped short a few feet away. The

Octoling looked her over, before motioning her to sit down next to her. She slowly complied. The Octoling

removed her goggles from her eyes, and faced the newcomer. "So I hear you're doing the tests." Eight

faced her. "I'm sorry, who are you?" The Octoling sighed. "My name is Catherine, of C Group." Upon

Eight's startled expression, she added, "It's a Tubeling batch." She still seemed confused. "You seriously

don't know what a Tubeling is?" Eight sighed. "How can I be expected to remember something about my

people if I don't even remember my own name?" Catherine faced her in shock. "You don't remember your

name?" Eight nodded. "Is there anything you do remember?" She sighed. "I remember seeing seven

Octolings smiling at me, and reaching out for me, but nothing other than that." Catherine looked

thoughtful. "That would make you a Tubeling, and the other seven are the rest in your batch." Eight faced

her. "How many were in yours?" Catherine sighed. "There are eight of us. Clair, Chloe, Casey, Carly,

Carla, and Cynthia are on the surface, waiting for me to find the eighth one, who went missing seven

years ago." Eight faced her. "What was her name?" Catherine faced her. "Cassandra. We called her Cass

or Cassie for short. She came out of her tube a week later than the rest of us due to a glitch. Because of

that glitch, she wasn't as skilled as the rest of us in training. We waited for her to finish training as long

as we could, but we were transferred to Octo Valley four years after we came out of our tubes. After that,

she apparently tried to steal a Zapfish from Inkopolis, the home of the Inklings, and was arrested for

desertion. Clair was the last one to see her before she disappeared." Eight blinked back a tear, and

asked, "What was she like?" Catherine sighed. "Because of her failures, she resorted to cheating, and it

caused a lot of problems for us. We started mistreating her, thinking we were helping her. I was the

worst, I beat her up once. That's why I volunteered to go look for her after we ran away from the

military." Eight nodded. "Well, I hope you find her someday. Why aren't you doing the tests?" Catherine

smirked. "Waste of my time that I could be using to find Cass. The only reason I'm down here is because

I fell through a hole on Mt. Nantai." Eight nodded. Cuttlefish came over then. "I'm getting a signal!" She

faced him. "From who?" The Cap'n turned on his walkie-talkie. "Agent 3? Come in, Agent 3!" None of the

three of them were expecting what came next. "MIC-CHECK, ONE, TWO, WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!"

Eight nearly fell out of her seat in surprise. Catherine caught her. "You okay?" Eight nodded. Catherine

faced Cuttlefish. "Who-?" He shrugged. "Pearl! Didn't anyone teach you to respect your elders?" He

thumbed the walkie-talkie. "Who is this? State your names!" One of the two voices on the other end

spoke up. "Uh, I think I asked you first, dude. But anyway, I'm Pearl, but you can call me !"

She then proceeded to perform a short rap about herself, which caused Eight great confusion. The Cap'n

chuckled. "Check it. You steppin' up to me with a rap battle?" He made a rap about himself, which

confused Eight even more. The two continued to rap back and forth until the other voice interrupted.

"Okay, you two that's enough!" She sighed. "Mr. Cuttlefish, was it? We found this radio on Mt. Nantai."

"Why, that's near Octo Valley!" The voice continued. "So, what's going on?" Cuttlefish filled them in on

the situation. "So, you and this 'Eight' don't know how you got down there, and now you're trying to get

out?" Cuttlefish nodded. "That's right." "Well, don't worry, cause from now on, you have me, Marina, AKA

DJ_Hyperfresh, to help you out!" Eight looked at Catherine, who appeared concerned about her. "I'll help,

too." Marina spoke up. "Huh? Who's that?" Catherine answered, "I'm Catherine. I ended up down here

while looking for my sister. I still haven't found her yet." Marina sighed. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Catherine sighed. "The odd thing is, I feel like I'm close to where she is now." Eight looked at her in

concern.

 **A/N**

 **Okay, main character lineup.**

 **Agent 8- Protagonist, obviously.**

 **Cap'n Cuttlefish- Support character. Gives Agent 8 advice and words of wisdom (as only he can**

 **do)**

 **Marina- Octoling half of Off the Hook. Provides Agent 8 with technological assistance when**

 **necessary.**

 **Pearl- Inkling half of Off the Hook. Provides Agent 8 with emotional support. (Explanation**

 **pending)**

 **C-3 "Catherine"- One of the eight members of the Tubeling batch C Group. Seven members of**

 **the batch were promoted to Elite status, and were stationed in Octo Valley for active duty.**

 **Despite her looks, Catherine can be a very frightening opponent. Her greatest regret is her**

 **treatment of the eighth member of the batch, who has been missing for seven years up to this**

 **point. She will play a major roll in this story.**

 **SoftWare, offline**


	4. Eight's Real Name

**Let the awkwardness continue.**

Chapter Four

Eight's Real Name

(Three days later)

Eight pushed the baller up the hill with her Inkjet, then pushed it into the goal. Upon completing her test,

she received her reward: The CQ points, and the MEM cake. She walked into the train, and saw Catherine

sharpening her knife. "Nice knife." Catherine faced her. "Oh, thanks. I got it when I became an Elite."

Eight faced her. "How do you become an Elite?" Catherine smiled and said, "You have to earn it. Only the

best fighters become Elites. Everybody else is either a Private or an Advanced. You look like you were a

Private before you lost your memory." Eight shrugged. "It doesn't matter now." Catherine nodded. Eight

then felt great pain coming on, and gripped her head. She cried out in pain, and tears poured from her

eyes. In her mind, she heard a voice speak. "C-8. Your name will be... Cassandra." The memory faded,

but Eight's eyes went wide when she heard this. "Hey, what was Cass's Tubeling code?" Catherine faced

her. "C-8. Why?" Eight faced her. "I just had another memory." Catherine looked interested. "Go on." "I

hear a voice speaking to me. He calls me C-8, then tells me my name is Cassandra." Catherine dropped

her knife in shock. "C-Cassie?!" The two hugged, and Catherine swore she wouldn't let her go. Not until

the next test, anyway. Cuttlefish walked in on his cane just then. He faced Catherine. "What's the matter?

I heard Eight cry out." Cass faced him. "I remember my name now." He faced her. "Oh?" She looked at

him. "I'm her missing sister." "Cassandra? Well, that's interesting. Anything else?" She shook her head.

"Still fuzzy." He nodded in understanding. Catherine pulled out a small device. Cass faced her. "What's

that?" Catherine faced her. "My communicator. It's set so that I can only send text messages with it, and

only to one person: Clair." Cass figured out what she was doing. "You're telling her you found me."

Catherine nodded. "Now that I've completed that search, we can work on getting out of here much more

quickly." Cass nodded.

 **And this ends well. Current cast.**

 **Agent 8 AKA C-8 "Cassandra"- Protagonist.**

 **Cap'n Cuttlefish- Support character.**

 **Pearl- Emotional support (Explanation pending).**

 **Marina- Technological support.**

 **C-3 "Catherine"- Cass's sister. She will play a bigger role in this than what she has now.**

 **SoftWare, offline.**


	5. Sisterly Sleepover

**ARandomInterloper is making his own version of this story, so if you want to see his work, go check it out. (I might have said that already, but I'm not in the mood to recheck.)**

Chapter Five

Sisterly Sleepover

(Recommended music- Fall Out Boy- Golden)

Catherine looked at her text device. Clair's reply had just come in. She opened it. _Is she okay?_ Catherine

smiled at Clair's concern, and answered, _She's lost her memories, and has a new hairstyle, but is_

 _otherwise fine._ Clair's answer was interesting. _New hairstyle?_ Catherine sighed, and replied, _It looks like_

 _it's shriveled up. I'm waiting for her to remember more. She's doing a series of tests in some_

 _underground facility we both ended up in. I fell in through a hole on Mt. Nantai._ Clair's reply made her

embarrassed. _Since when are you a klutz?_ She sighed. _Don't ask._ The next message arrived just as Cass

walked into the car. "Anything from Clair?" She showed her the conversation. Cass shrugged. "Stuff

happens." Catherine nodded in appreciation, then opened the new message. _When can we expect you_

 _two?_ Cass shrugged. Catherine typed in her reply. _I have no idea. She's making good progress, I gotta_

 _say. She's been owning all of the tests she's taken so far. She even beat what I would call an Octoboss._

Clair's reply made her laugh. _GO, CASSIE!_ She showed it to her sister, who read it, and faced Catherine.

"She's happy." Catherine nodded. "Let's get some sleep, okay?" Cass nodded. The two rolled out sleeping

bags, then got into them. Catherine was just getting comfortable when Cass whimpered. Concerned,

Catherine faced her. "What's wrong?" Cass looked up. "I can't sleep." Catherine smiled warmly. "Just

imagine Inkopolis." Cass laid down, and tried to. Something happened then. She saw herself struggling

with an Inkling girl. Finally, she saw herself beat the Inkling over the head with a brick four times. The

girl laying still scared her. She shot up with a jolt. Catherine noticed it. "Cass?" She faced her. "Are you

okay?" Cass started crying. Catherine crawled over, and rubbed her sister. "It was a nightmare." Cass

said something. "I killed her." Catherine kept rubbing her. "It was a nightmare, Cass. It's over." Her

sister faced her. "It felt so real." Catherine thought that over, and a thought occurred to her. "Wait a

minute." She faced Cass. "What did she look like?" Cass squinted her eyes. "I can't remember exactly,

but it was a girl, I know that." That's when Catherine realized. "It was a memory." Cass faced her. "A

memory?" She nodded. "I met an Inkling once, in Octo Valley. She was holding me prisoner in the New

Squidbeak Splatoon's hideout there. We had a talk about why she was so eager to help Cuttlefish. She

said that she was looking for someone." Cass sniffled. "I feel terrible." Catherine held onto her. "That was

probably during your Zapfish heist seven years ago. You disappeared after that. The Zapfish ended up in

Octo Gorge, and you were there for a few days, but then you vanished from all the records. Clair was the

last one to see you. They had you locked up for going AWOL. She said you asked her to visit you on your

birthday. She had planned to, and went there the day before, so she could rest before the visit. It was on

your birthday that we learned that you'd been taken off the record and had disappeared completely. For

five years, we tried to figure out what happened when we weren't on duty." With tears in her eyes,

Catherine continued. "We learned that they tried to execute you sooner than regulations stated.

Somehow, you survived all of their methods. Heck, they even tried to boil you alive. After that, they tried

to use hypnoshades on you. None of the pairs they had available worked on you, so they used exile as a

last resort. When we learned that, we were (bleep that)*. We took the first chance we got, which was

after DJ Octavio was defeated by Agent 3, and ran to the surface. We all made it, and we agreed to fan

out and search for you, keeping in touch with our devices. You hadn't been seen anywhere in Inkopolis,

so we divided the search for six areas. I was given Mt. Nantai and the surrounding area. Clair stayed in

Inkopolis to be the coordinator. I'm the only one still in the field, as the others found no trace of you in

the other areas. We won't forgive those (bleep that)* for doing what they did to you, ever. From now on,

it's family first. All other concerns are secondary." Cass nodded, and hugged Catherine, falling asleep in

her arms a few minutes later.

 **A/N**

 ***- Catherine was cussing. I have to keep it kid friendly.**

 **No new characters have appeared yet, so no update on Team Escape (couldn't think up a**

 **better name)**

 **SoftWare, offline**


	6. Da New Thang

**Let the chaos continue.***

Chapter Six

Da New Thang

Cass rolled the baller into its slot, completing another test. Somehow, the tests seemed too easy. When she got back to

the train, Catherine faced her. "What's wrong?" Cass faced her sister. "All these tests seem easy." Catherine thought

that over. "Huh. Maybe you had some hidden power in you and it chose now to come out." Cass thought that over.

"Maybe..." It was then that Cass checked her station map, and found something. "What's in this station?" Catherine

faced it. "Octo..." Upon Cass's questioning look, she said, "One of the Thangs. I found two of them, but stopped after

that." Cass grinned. "Sweet!" She typed in the station, and the train was off. Catherine sat down next to her. "You've

grown, Cass. The Cassandra I knew had trouble in basic combat. You're dominating every test so far." Cass blushed.

"Thanks." When the train arrived, Cass went into the station, and broke the barrier around the Thang. After she acquired

it, she rolled it into the train. When it was in Central Station, she faced Catherine, who walked up behind her. "One

down, three to go." Catherine faced her. "The other one I found isn't that far from the other one, but you still have to

complete a few more tests to get it." Cass nodded. "Whatever happens, we're getting out."

 **A/N**

 ***- I'm kidding.**

 **Cass and Catherine are one step closer to their goal. The Cap'n is sitting in his seat, rapping, and Agent 3**

 **has** **yet to appear. Boy, I wonder what will happen next.**

 **SoftWare, offline**


	7. Discovery

**Let the story continue. (Stupid Democrats. Grr.)**

Chapter Seven

Discovery

It had been two days since Cass found the first Thang. Since then, she had found another one, and was getting ready to enter another station. Catherine kept her gaze on her sister, concerned. ' _What will she have to do this time?_ ' Marina's voice came over the comm. "It looks like an Octoboss dome." Cass was in an object she had never seen before, and neither had Catherine, for that matter. "What is this thing?" Marina answered, "It's called a Baller. You can use it to blow up your opponents." Cass thought that over. "Cool." As she said this, something rose from the center of the arena she was in.

When she saw it, she was surprised. ' _Octo Samurai? What's he doing here?'_ As she thought this, the samurai swung at her. She dodged the attack, and heard Marina's voice came over the comm. "Who is this guy?" Cass resisted the urge to yell at her in the comms. ' _Seriously? I'm the one with amnesia, and even I know who this guy is.'_ Catherine gasped. "Cassie!" She barely got out of the way of another attack in time because of Cathy's warning. She began to charge up the Baller, and let loose an ink explosion, and landed the first hit on the samurai.

When his ghost reentered his body, he started riding his roller like a bike. "Ahoy! That's not fair! It's a disgrace to the sport!" Cass ignored that comment, focusing on the fight. She dodged another attack, and detonated the Baller again, landing another hit. Cass took the moment of his respawn to get a breather, and began to think. ' _One more hit. That's all I need._ ' The samurai got up, and rushed at her, which she barely dodged. He came at her again, and she set off the Baller, Splatting him the third time, and ending the fight.

As the MEM cake landed in her hands, Cass looked back at the arena, then at Catherine, who walked over. "Cassie?" She nodded for her sister to follow her. Once they were at a good spot, she said, "That was Octo Samurai." Catherine nodded. "I know. I'm confused about that too." Facing her sister, she said, "I really don't like this place. The Octolings were weird enough, but this? I think that phone's hiding something." Catherine looked thoughtful. "I lost track of Harold after I stopped taking the tests. Do you think he's one of those Octolings?" Cass shuddered. "If he is, I'm glad I haven't seen him."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "At any rate, you've been on a roll. You been down here for three days, and you've already found two Thangs." Cass looked at where C.Q. Cumber was, and asked him, "Hey, did you see an Octoling named Harold?" C.Q. Cumber nodded. "He was an applicant, like your sister. I'm afraid that the train he was on went missing shortly after your sister stopped her testing. I do not know the details, but from what I do know, I believe that the train was hijacked." Both sisters faced each other, worried.

Back on the train, they sat down in their car, and Cass said to Catherine, "He has to know more than he's letting on." Catherine nodded. "The other train wasn't for testing. It was only for employees of the Metro." Cass grew even more suspicious, and looked around the train for a minute. Catherine noticed. "What are you looking for, Cass?" She faced her sister. "Security cameras." Catherine raised an eyebrow. "There aren't any. I was curious about that, too." Cass nodded. "Good." She got off of her seat, and started to undo a screw on one of the poles.

Catherine faced her out of shock. "Cass, what are you doing?" Cass opened up the screw, and removed the panel, revealing slimy green ink flowing through the pole. Cass shuddered, then put the plate back on, and retightened the screw. Facing Catherine, she said, "That's not natural ink." Catherine nodded in agreement. "What was that stuff?" Cass made a gagging face, and said, "No idea. But it smells terrible." Catherine nodded, then chuckled. "Kinda like Agent 3." Cass faced her, confused. "What?" Catherine smacked herself. "Right. You weren't in Octo Valley."

Cass waited for her to continue. "There was a rumor that Agent 3 doesn't bathe, at least not frequently." Cass snorted. "Gross..." Catherine nodded. "Yep. Clair wanted to capture Agent 3 so that we could force her to take baths every four hours." Cass laughed at that. "Oh, I wish I could've seen that." Catherine smiled. "Me, too. When she kicked our butts, Clair wasn't sure what to think, and blamed Cynthia for it." Cass raised an eyebrow. "Why?" Catherine chuckled. "Because she kept getting in Clair's way during the fight."

The train stopped, and they walked out, taking note of the next testing station, which was an 8-Ball test. Cass grimaced. "Here we go..." She continued with the tests, and found the rest of the Thangs fairly quickly. As they got ready to approach the phone with all four Thangs, Cass hesitated. Catherine faced her. "Cassie, if you're thinking about whatever happened during your first trip to Inkopolis, that was seven years ago. You've changed, for the better." Cass faced her sister. "I killed an Inkling, though..." Catherine replied, "If you hold onto the past, then you can't move on to the future."

Cass thought that over. "Fair enough..." They walked towards the phone, to go to the surface. The phone spoke to them. "Are you ready to visit the promised land?" Catherine and Cass both said, "Yes." The phone continued. ""This is it. Are you [ERROR] ready to ascend to the higher plane?" They both nodded. The phone continued. "The promised land awaits. Are you ready to join something bigger than yourself?" They both nodded again, and Catherine muttered impatiently, "Just get on with it." The phone replied, "Congratulations, number 10,008! The door to the promised land will now open!"

As the phone finished speaking, the four Thangs assembled into one giant shape, one that made Cass very suspicious. "Why does it look like a giant blender?" Cap'n Cuttlefish spoke up. "No worries about that, lassie! Let's go!" The phone spoke up. "Please, step right inside! Here we go! Do not be shy!" Cass could not help but feel concerned about this, but the three entered the "door" anyway. As the panel closed, the device began to activate, and Cass looked up, taking note of the spinning blades, and said, "It is a giant blender!"

Marina and Pearl tried to hack into it, but to no success. They then triggered a distress beacon on Cass's CQ-80, and prayed for the best. As soon as it looked like all hope was lost, the glass above them shattered, and Agent 3 flew into view, dropkicking the phone, and landing on the ground nearby, Hero Shot ready. They all climbed out, and Cuttlefish faced Agent 3. "Agent 3! You got here in the nick of time!" Agent 3 smiled. "It's good to see you, too, Cap." She took note of Catherine and Cass, and stared at Cass in shock. Cass stared back. "Liz?"

 **A/N**

 **That seems like a good note to end it on.**


	8. Escape

**On we go.**

Chapter Eight

Escape

Liz stared at the Octoling who was the reason she had become Agent 3. Her hair tentacles looked like somebody had dunked them in boiling water or something, her clothes were in tatters, and she was clearly nervous. She recognized the other Octoling as well, Catherine of C Group. She understood that they had a past of some kind, and that Catherine would not act favorably if she attacked. She had no intention to, anyway. Facing Cass, she said, "We'll talk about it later." Facing Cuttlefish, she said, "Subtle, Cap. This place is a sham. I'm ashamed you fell for their silly trick."

Cuttlefish sighed. "Desperation does strange things, Agent 3." Liz chose not to answer that. Facing Catherine, she said, "Do you have a weapon?" Catherine shook her head. "I've been down here for who knows how long." Liz sighed. "Almost two years. That's the last time I saw you." Catherine grimaced. "Clair's not gonna be happy..." Cass looked at Liz. "How'd you find us?" She faced her. "The distress beacon from your CQ-80. It's a good thing I got here when I did."

Cuttlefish made a decision. "Agent 3, Agent 8, go on ahead. Catherine and I will follow shortly." Liz nodded. "Aye, Cap'n." The two entered the escape path to the surface, and Catherine faced Cuttlefish. "Are you sure putting those two together is a good idea?" Cuttlefish faced her. "Whatever happened between them, they need to resolve it." Catherine sighed. "Why did you have them go ahead?" He replied, "Because there's something about that phone that makes me curious."

With Cass and Liz, they had just entered the first level of the path when Cass muttered under her breath. Liz faced her. "What?" She faced Liz. "I need a weapon." Liz sighed. "We might find one on the way out, but I'm not sure. I know there are Splat Bombs at some point, but I don't remember where." Cass nodded. "I'm sorry, Liz." Liz faced her. "I thought I said we'd discuss it later." Cass sighed. "I know, but I still feel terrible..." Liz nodded. "You should. Hitting me with a rock is not nice."

Cass nodded. Liz continued. "Why did you leave me laying there, by the way?" Cass swallowed nervously. "I thought you were dead..." Liz raised an eyebrow. "Were you trying to kill me?" Cass shook her head. "No, but that doesn't excuse it..." Liz nodded. "We have a long way to go. I'll make my decision about you after we make it to the top." Cass nodded. They made it through the first area with no problem. The second area, Cass nearly fell over the edge of a platform, but caught herself in time.

Soon enough, they found the Splat Bombs that Liz had mentioned. Cass picked them up, and faced Liz. "I can use them for distractions." Liz nodded. "Good idea. Get ready." Seeing a pair of Sanitized Octotroopers, Cass threw a Splat Bomb at them, and Liz Splatted them as they looked at it, curious. Moving on, they climbed through many obstacles, making their way to the surface. Cass found an Octo Shot along the way, so they both could fight. They reached a room with a power core.

Liz nodded towards it. "We'll need to detach it so that we can use it to power the escape hatch." Cass nodded. "How do we get up there?" Liz gestured ahead. "Inkjets. We can use them to gain some height. I'll take the left, you go right. We'll meet back here." Cass nodded. They began to work on the eight locking clamps, releasing them one by one, until they freed the core, and followed it to the escape shaft. Once they arrived, Liz attached it, and they entered an elevator.

Cass then realized something. "Hold on." She pressed her finger to her headset. "Cap'n, it's Agent 8. Come in." There was no response. She tried again. He didn't answer. Rolling her eyes, she pressed her comm button again. "Cathy, come in." Her sister didn't reply, either. Liz tried contacting the Cap'n, but got no reply as well. "He almost always answers me." Cass's eyes went wide. "They're in trouble." As she said this, they heard a saucer approaching. They looked up, and saw Cap'n Cuttlefish tied upside down.

He saw them. "Agents, that twisted phone took control of Catherine's mind! Help!" When Cass heard that, she dropped her jaw. "What?!" She looked up at her sister, who had some kind of pulsating sludge on the right side of her face. The clearly brainwashed Catherine looked down at them, and struck. Cass dodged, and Liz was slammed against the wall, knocked unconscious. The Octoling looked at her sister, and knew that she would have to fight her. "Cathy, if you're in there, I'd like to apologize in advance for this."

The brainwashed Octoling struck, aiming at Cass's head, who easily dodged, and fired back. She landed a couple hits, and took cover in her ink, waiting. The brainwashed Catherine struck again, and Cass dodged, firing back. Both opponents backed off after trading shots, and Cass weighed over her options. ' _She's not fighting at her full strength, which means whatever's controlling her doesn't know how to use_ it.' Cass rushed, and the brainwashed Octoling met her. They locked hands, dropping their Octo Shots, which didn't melt.

Cass made a choice, and headbutted Catherine in the face, knocking her against the wall, and grabbed her weapon off of the ground. She fired at the sludge on her sister's face, blasting it off. Liz spoke up. "Whoa..." Cass faced her. "You got good." Cass shrugged. "About time." Holstering her weapon, she leaned Catherine against the wall. They got Cuttlefish down, and he faced Cass. "Well done, Agent 8. I know that was hard for you." She nodded. "I'm just glad she's safe now..."

Liz looked at the ladder that was behind Cass. "Hey. Get up to the surface. See if you can signal for a ride. We'll be right up." Cass nodded, and began climbing. Upon reaching the top, she saw a fleet of helicopters approaching her. In one were two individuals, and Cass caught on to who they were. "Pearl and Marina?" They gestured to her, and landed the chopper. Once all four were aboard the platform that was attached to the bottom of the chopper, they began to rise, and Cass sighed.

As Pearl and Cuttlefish had another rap battle, Cass noticed something. "Hey, what is that?" They all looked, and took note of the platform they had been on before, rising out of the ocean, revealing a massive statue. Pearl broke the silence. "Yo... What the heck is that?" Cass squinted, trying to get a better look, and took note of a window in one of the eye slots, where the phone was staring at them, except this time, it was covered in green goop. Cass grimaced. "Here we go again..."

 **A/N**

 **Surprise! Except not really!**


	9. The Tantrum That Saved the World

**Interloper might get a kick out of this one.**

Chapter Nine

The Tantrum That Saved the World

As Cuttlefish, Liz, and Cass stared at the statue with the phone in it, the phone spoke up. "TARTAR IN DA HOUSE!" Cass raised an eyebrow. "Tartar?" Liz piped up. "Like the sauce?" The phone spoke up again. "[Disabling contemporary speech mode...]" Cass narrowed her eyes, waiting. The phone spoke up again. "I am Tartar, a superior artificial intelligence left behind by Professor Kamabo of the Kanto Region! He tasked me with passing on Humanity's vast knowledge to the next life form."

Liz slowly raised her weapon as Tartar continued. "When your kind first appeared, I believed that my long wait was finally over. But as I witnessed your evolution, I WAS DISGUSTED!" Cass drew her Octo Shot. "You obsess over trivial fashion choices! You wage war over genetical differences!" Cass raised her voice. "Was humanity any different?!" Tartar faced her, surprised. "What?" Cass continued. "All evidence found shows that humanity was far more violent than our peoples are! Besides, the Great Turf War was fought in response to rising sea levels!"

Tartar was silent for a moment, before replying, "Perhaps you're right. Humanity also had its flaws." Cass kept her gaze on the AI. Tartar continued. "But I've come too far to stop now. The people of Inkopolis are nothing more than children playing games. But your kind, Octarians, refuse to let a century-old war go. The four Octarian Settlements will be destroyed, and Inklings will receive humanity's knowledge!" Cuttlefish spoke up. "Why do the civilians in the domes have to die?"

Tartar replied, "They had their chance to leave. They chose to stay out of fear." Cass spoke up. "There were people who tried to leave! They were captured, and either killed, or brainwashed! You have no right to judge those who have no idea what they're doing!" Tartar answered, "Subject 10,008, you always try so hard... and always fail so completely." Cass replied, "I passed your stupid tests!" Tartar continued. "But in real situations, you always fail. This time will be no exception."

The statue turned towards Octo Canyon, and a large cannon appeared out of the statue's mouth. "Today, Octo Canyon will be the first to fall, and order will be restored!" Cass gritted her teeth, and Marina spoke from above them. "Agent 8! I have hyperbombs! If we plant them along the statue, you can shoot them, and cover the statue before it can charge enough energy to fire a full shot! Pearl can then use a full-on battle cry to take down the statue!" Cass nodded up to her. "Sounds like a plan!"

Cass launched towards the statue, her Octo Shot ready. Over the next three minutes, she set off all of the hyperbombs, and landed back on the pad below the helicopter. She turned her attention to Marina, who had her laptop out. "Readings don't indicate a full charge, but it looks like he's going to fire anyway." Cass faced Tartar in the window. Tartar spoke up. "10,008, no other test subject has worked so hard to disrupt my plans. But in the end, it was for naught. Observe the fall of Octo Canyon." The statue prepared to fire.

Pearl leapt down to use her "battle cry" as Marina called it, but tripped, landing on her nose. Gripping it, she dropped the small object she was carrying. Cass noticed it, faced Tartar, and growled. "That's it!" She picked up the object, which expanded into a killer wail, and aimed it at the statue. As Tartar fired, Cass screamed as loud as she had ever screamed in her life, and the blast from the killer wail intercepted the shot from the cannon. The attacks clashed, before the killer wail overpowered Tartar's shot.

The force of the killer wail blasted through the statue, and they could hear Tartar wheezing out, "Professor... Our reunion beckons..." Liz ran over to Cass, who was collapsing onto the pad. She checked Cass's vitals. They were strong. She'd just passed out. Catherine woke up just then. "Ohh, my head..." She looked over at Liz. "What happened to Cass?!" Liz replied, "She just passed out. And saved Octo Canyon in the process." Cuttlefish spoke up. "Let's get to Inkopolis. I know a place we can have her treated."

(Three days later)

Cass groaned as she opened her eyes, taking note of Catherine sitting next to her. "Cathy?" Her sister hugged her. "I'm glad you're all right." Cass asked her, "What happened? Did somebody kiss me?" Catherine chuckled. "You won." Cass sighed in relief. "All right, yay." Cathy chuckled. "I met up with Clair. When you're ready to leave the hospital, the others will be waiting for us." Cass faced her. "You're not staying with them?" Catherine replied, "I'm not going anywhere until you're healthy enough to leave."

Cass giggled, and the two sisters continued to talk until Cass fell asleep, exhausted. Cathy remained at her side, holding her sleeping sister's hand. She smiled as she whispered into Cass's ear, "Sweet dreams, Cassie."

 **A/N**

 **This is finally done. This part of the story is finished. The story will continue with A Different Path: Fresh Start.**


End file.
